213 Comments for Salem Jail

Maybe the keyholes were inset so a prisoner couldn't grab the key from the guard?

N, the same thought crossed my mind.

What are the two recesses in the wall, one up high, one at the floor?

A new gallery, thanks Mr. Motts :-) I read your accompanying text and was horrified by the details - no toilet in each cell, they had to use a bucket - no air conditioning - faulty heating - etc. An awful place.

"Without any major renovation since 1845, the facility did not have individual plumbing in each cell. Inmates were given five gallon buckets to use as chamber pots while awaiting their once-a-week trip to the facility's two functioning toilets. "

Had to read up on the jail itself after looking through this photo set, really interesting stuff.

Very interesting, thanks for the research, Motts!

The cemetery is still there. The hole seems like an old rear exit; it has a large gate made of rusty bars, but has been bricked up from the inside some time ago.

I found it curious as well. I figured it traced back to Latin; many architects around the turn of the 20th century nodded towards classical architecture, and often used the Latin V as a vowel for U when inscribing names on stone. There can often be found at public institutions built during this era, hence you frequently see the words PVBLIC and MVSEVM spelled this way more than others.

The closest I could make of it is that the J can sometimes represent an I in terms of Roman Numerals. It was sometimes used as an emphasis for the "last i" - so IIJ would equate to 3. But then why wouldn't the date be inscribed as MCMXIII (or MCMXIIJ)?

Perhaps it's a vague vestige of this tradition, and simply used as a swash (typographical flourish).

Yep they're there, just obscured by the cell doors and photo angle.

N, I imagine the openings in the windows were primarily used to lock and unlock handcuffs with the prisoner securely in their cell, so there's less chance of overtaking a corrections officer.

flushed, I was thinking that there must be an electromagnet system in there as well, replacing the ancient key-lock next to the door. There's a keyhole in each silver plate above the doors; perhaps a manual override for the electromagnet system.

@flushed No wonder my brain could't grasp what it was seeing. And doesn't help I glanced over the title and description of the picture either.

@flushed Was more of a creepy thought of coming across one laying around, used or not. I mean, all those cloth strips they used could have easily been fashioned into such

eldokid, there sure is!

Love this shot out of all of them! Something about old chimneys and smokestacks.. I'm just weird, lol

Must have been quite a smell in there!